Mark's Greatest Lyrics

[rmarques821]

I know most of us have a lifelong connection to the DS material, but generally speaking I feel like the quality of lyrics got better in the solo years.

Interesting comment.  I think it's important to have a good marriage between the lyrics and the music.  Telegraph Road and BIA convey this better than any IMHO. 

I personally think his songwriting became less consistent during his solo period, especially after the first two albums.  Also, the music clearly took a back seat which is criminal for a man who gave us so many great riffs and solos.

The music didn't take a back seat at all. The guitar probably did.
For me, if less guitar means a better lyrical output then it's all ok. I sometimes read Basil's lyrics as poetry and feel incredibly satisfied, artistically speaking. His lyrics transition from the DS period to the solo years are the reflection of a man who has matured, someone with more wisdom. And the musical compositions too.

More like an old man who has become lazy and would rather fill a composition with words than a guitar solo, riff or good melody he'd have to replicate live.  He has/had a gift and it's a real shame it's been wasted to a great extent for many years.

To each his own, I suppose

[Love Expresso]

There was a point when he started to speak of himself as a "songwriter", to me  that was searching for a new "label" to fill the empty space that emerged when he didn't want to be a "guitar hero" anymore. It felt always uneasy and artificial to me that he always spoke himself and defined himself what he saw himself. I guess all his heroes influenced him in finding his definite place in music history while he long had  been given that place by his audience, which was denied by him.

There is a difference between lyrics and poetry, when the words fit perfectly in the melody, when they can and MUST be heard to be sung, or better, if you read them as a poem and you have the feeling that a certain dimension is missing, then it's probably good songwriting, I guess. With that in mind, even Solid Rock ( "...three more fingers pointing back at you") has great lyrics while One Song At A Time or Watch Me Gone feel slightly over the top.

LE
 

[Robson]

It is worth noting that Mark Knopfler's voice has changed and that is natural. And it fits his current lyrics very well.

[KnopfleRick]

It is worth noting that Mark Knopfler's voice has changed and that is natural. And it fits his current lyrics very well.

I agree with you!
Mark is one of the lucky ones whose voice and singing have gotten better with age. Often, it's the opposite.

[ds1984]

Mark is one of the lucky ones whose voice and singing have gotten better with age. Often, it's the opposite.

 

When was last time you went listen him singing live ?

[KnopfleRick]

Mark is one of the lucky ones whose voice and singing have gotten better with age. Often, it's the opposite.

 

When was last time you went listen him singing live ?

Hannover 2019 and he was great!
Also I think that he still writes good songs and his guitar playing still is very tasteful.

[Robson]

Mark is one of the lucky ones whose voice and singing have gotten better with age. Often, it's the opposite.

 

When was last time you went listen him singing live ?

Hannover 2019 and he was great!
Also I think that he still writes good songs and his guitar playing still is very tasteful.

Definitely yes!

[peterromer]

If there has to be a number 1 it is BIA.

[dmg]

Mark is one of the lucky ones whose voice and singing have gotten better with age. Often, it's the opposite.

 

When was last time you went listen him singing live ?

Hannover 2019 and he was great!
Also I think that he still writes good songs and his guitar playing still is very tasteful.

On the last tour he could barely sing at all.

[Banjo99uk]

Mark is one of the lucky ones whose voice and singing have gotten better with age. Often, it's the opposite.

 

When was last time you went listen him singing live ?

Hannover 2019 and he was great!
Also I think that he still writes good songs and his guitar playing still is very tasteful.

On the last tour he could barely sing at all.

That doesn’t stop Dylan.

[superval99]

Mark is one of the lucky ones whose voice and singing have gotten better with age. Often, it's the opposite.

 

When was last time you went listen him singing live ?

Hannover 2019 and he was great!
Also I think that he still writes good songs and his guitar playing still is very tasteful.

On the last tour he could barely sing at all.

dmg, You and I were at the same show in Leeds and also Newcastle and we both agreed that it was pretty good, including his voice.   Verona was excellent too.  I felt that MK went out on a high in 2019!   

[dustyvalentino]

Vocals got better after he quit the fags.

[dmg]

Mark is one of the lucky ones whose voice and singing have gotten better with age. Often, it's the opposite.

 

When was last time you went listen him singing live ?

Hannover 2019 and he was great!
Also I think that he still writes good songs and his guitar playing still is very tasteful.

On the last tour he could barely sing at all.

dmg, You and I were at the same show in Leeds and also Newcastle and we both agreed that it was pretty good, including his voice.   Verona was excellent too.  I felt that MK went out on a high in 2019!   

Think it's different after the show when you're still on a high, but retrospectively he sounded very weak even compared to 2015.  R&J is the song I noticed the biggest difference with vocally.

[superval99]

Mark is one of the lucky ones whose voice and singing have gotten better with age. Often, it's the opposite.

 

When was last time you went listen him singing live ?

Hannover 2019 and he was great!
Also I think that he still writes good songs and his guitar playing still is very tasteful.

On the last tour he could barely sing at all.

dmg, You and I were at the same show in Leeds and also Newcastle and we both agreed that it was pretty good, including his voice.   Verona was excellent too.  I felt that MK went out on a high in 2019!   

Think it's different after the show when you're still on a high, but retrospectively he sounded very weak even compared to 2015.  R&J is the song I noticed the biggest difference with vocally.

I still listen to the Leeds and Verona performances and MK sounds fine to me both vocally and instrumentally.   OK there was a little hiccup  in the final solo of R&J at Leeds, but as we said at the time, nobody would have noticed except for us!

[Rolo]

I think that dmg's comments about MK' voice are correct. Analysing the whole thing with a clear mind after the concert, he saw that MK, unfortunately, was on his lowest point as a singer and guitar player.

For a man who did SO MUCH, it's was sad when I looked at him singing and playing on his last tour. And it was brave as well. I think that he expected to be in a better shape when the tour started and, even with all his problems, he did te whole tour.

There was some very good moments during the tour.
He gave all playing Speedway.
However, I would never imagine that he would need help to play the R&J intro.

As I said: Sad, but brave.

Talking about hiccups, he did it on Watch Me Gone.
It is ON THE RECORD.
So, try to imagine how hard was to record ODR.

Ah, my favorite MK's era as a singer was in 2011/2012 when he tried (an sung very well) Bonaparte in D and BIA in Am.
I am not a fan of high pitches. However, he did a great job.